Salesforce foundationConnect Transition RFP

Project Description
foundationConnect (fC), our current grants management system, is being retired and discontinued by Salesforce on January 31, 2026.

We are seeking recommendations for a solution or suite of solutions within the Salesforce ecosystem that will replace fC with features that at a minimum are on par with the current system. We are really pleased with our current configuration and would happily keep it if it was not being discontinued. Our main goal is to have as little impact as possible to internal staff and grantees and preserve our custom functionality as is.

We use fC to manage our online grant portal, where grantees access multiple versions of forms to submit proposals and grant reports to the Foundation. Internally, fC allows users to verify the 501c3 status of an organization, as well as assign budgets, aka programs, to requests and create placeholders for requests. The Contributing Program object also allows us to split requests between multiple budgets.

We have explored Salesforce’s Grantmaking products, but do not have adequate information about the product, pricing, or any number of other features for us to feel confident in selecting that as a solution. We are, however, open to learning more about either Grants Management (built on Outbound Funds) or Grantmaking.

We are also interested in exploring integration with Candid, for both Tax Status Verification and various data points via API.

One of the values of the Foundation is providing excellent customer service. The proposed solution should be easy for grantees to use, especially non-technical ones. The user interface should be highly intuitive. While we like to provide detailed instructions and resources, a grantee should be able to complete a form without needing to use those resources.

Another value is intentional data gathering from our grantees. We are very pleased with our current data model, which involves multiple related objects/lists that the grantee and internal Foundation staff enter data into.

Please note that this RFP is for recommendations for products to transition to only, not for implementation or migration, though we would be open to considering an additional contract for those projects as well.

About The Foundation
We are a family foundation with fewer than 10 staff, and offices in Annapolis and San Francisco providing $18m in grants annually to nearly 200 organizations.

The Chesapeake office in Annapolis has two primary initiatives, Agriculture and Civic Engagement, with a focus on the Delmarva Peninsula and Lancaster County in Pennsylvania.

The Pacific office in San Francisco focuses on a variety of threats to water quality and water availability in California and seeks to fund partnerships that improve ecological balance in regional watersheds.

Background
The Foundation’s current system was built in 2019. Since then, we have transitioned to Salesforce foundationConnect, which resulted in a new online grants portal using the built-in Experience cloud for fC. We are on Salesforce Lightning and have automation using Workflow Rules, Process Builder, and Flows. We have also added numerous custom objects to allow Foundation staff and grantees to manage multiple related lists, such as funders, board members, and activities. We are in the midst of a transition to allow for ACH payments for grants via Bill.com. The Foundation adheres to various data integrity standards. We frequently compile and review reports and utilize automated processes to assure that data remains clean and robust.

We currently maintain 19 unique forms that can display different internal and external data. Data input types include rich and unformatted text, numbers, attachments, and data tables.

The Foundation’s grants are primarily by email invitation only, with two unsolicited RFPs open to new grantees that can self-register and start an application from our website. We also send frequent RFPs for capacity building and other types of grants. Grantmaking and related activities are an ongoing process, so there is very limited time for the system to be unavailable.

We utilize multiple Salesforce add-ons, which we prefer to continue using for their stated purpose. These include:

Deliverable
A recommendation for a solution or suite of solutions within the Salesforce ecosystem that will replace foundationConnect.

Features we are seeking:
External Portal

• A secure portal for grantees to self-register, and then start, edit, collaborate on, submit and download proposals and reports with multiple related lists
• The ability for grantees to view their history of grants from the Foundation
• The ability to add and modify clear and easy-to-understand error messages, help, and instructional text
• The ability to give users permission to view and edit only specific records

Internal Interface

• Tax status verification, including mass verification and the ability to bypass the process if the verification fails
• Assign multiple internal Foundation budgets to requests as desired, including for forecasting/future budget planning
• The ability to transfer, mass assign and delete user permissions and grant contacts

Admin Tools

• A simple, intuitive form builder that utilizes conditional logic to reduce the number of forms
• Log into portal as a user for troubleshooting

Features we are not seeking:

• Fundraising/donation tools
• Advocacy tools
• Social media connectivity

Audience
New and returning grant applicants, internal grants managers

Requirements and Assumptions
The Campbell Foundation assumes that most, if not all, of this work will be done remotely, and that the consultant has the capability to complete tasks in this way.

The Campbell Foundation is not liable for any cost associated with the preparation of proposals or any other costs incurred by any contractor prior to the execution of the contract.

Campbell Team Roles

• Anna Lindgren, Chief of Staff – Final decision-making, guidance on alignment with Foundation values and overall process
• Thanh Huynh, Tech Specialist – Project Lead
• Operations Team members – Project feedback and input

Timeline
It is key that we are able to work on our own timeline.

• August 11, 2023 – Proposals Due
• September 15, 2023 – Decision Date
• December 2023 – Suggested deliverable due date

Budget
$10,000 – $15,000, though the project cost is open to negotiation

Strong Proposals Will Include:

• Project description/proposed solution
• Description of the final deliverable
• Examples of prior work/deliverables and your role in each project
• Your approach/process for working with Foundation staff during this process
• Budget, pricing structure, and payment schedule
• Proposed timeline and project stages
• Change order process
• Information about the consultants who will work on this project
• References with whom you have worked on similar projects
• Commitment to racial equity and social justice

Selection Criteria
We will evaluate candidates on the following criteria:

• Design and usability experience
• Experience building flexible grants management systems that can be easily utilized by non-technical users
• History of completing projects on time and on budget
• Experience working with nonprofit or philanthropic organizations
• Positive feedback from references